Norse goddess of love and fertility , Freyja can be seen as the equivalent of the Roman goddess Venus. Myths and stories have been told for centuries around the one that left no man or god indifferent. Revered by the Vikings , the Norse goddess Freyja is still honored and invoked today.
Who is the goddess Freyja?
Freyja is a Norse goddess. The goddess of earth, fertility and love .
It is also known as :
- gef
- horn
- Mardoll
- syr
- Vanabrudh
- Vanadis
Her name means "sovereign" or "lady" in Old Norse. And is the origin of the word "Friday", or "Friday", day dedicated to him.
If you are interested in Freyja, you can always discover our jewelry related to the goddess .
The goddess Freyja is part of the Vanes , one of the Norse god groups. She is the daughter of Njörd, the god of navigation. And twin sister of Freyr, god of fertility.
The Norse goddess Freyja is depicted with blue eyes and golden hair. Of unequaled beauty, she is wife of Odr – god of wheat – and mother of Hnoss and Gersimi.
The Functions of the Norse Goddess
Freyja is one of the longest worshiped goddesses. She is at the same time Ouranian, Oceanian and chthonic. In short, a divinity belonging to the celestial, oceanic world and the underworld . The Scandinavian goddess is associated with love , sex , fertility , beauty . But also to war and death .
The sacred Norse Goddess rune is the Fehu rune . The first of the runic alphabet, which announces prosperity, power and harmony. But also luck and security.
A magician , Freyja teaches Seid - the magical art of sorcery - to the giants and to Odin.
She is invoked for many things. Such as to protect women in childbirth, or simply to be happy in love . To honor him, it was customary to offer him amber and honey. Today, he is offered sweets such as chocolate, caramel, strawberries, rose or elderberries.
If you wish to honor Freyja, you need an altar worthy of the name. This is why, at Ervald, we work with a craftsman to make wooden statues, including that of Freyja, which you will find here:
Click here to see the Freyja statue.
Freyja and her home in Asgard
The Norse goddess lives in Asgard , fortress of the Ases, one of the branches of the Gods. She was sent there at the end of the war between the Ases and the Vannes, of which she is a part. In Asgard, Freyja has a mansion, Folkvangr , and a hall, Sessrumnir . However, Freyja was almost torn from the domain of the gods the very day after its construction.
It was to Hrimthurs , master builder, that fell the task of building the stone fortress. In exchange, the giant asked the gods for the sun, the moon, and the goddess Freyja. Loki , god of mischief, then offered a deal. Asgard was to be built in less than half a year. Otherwise, Hrimthurs would not receive his due. Except here it is. The construction progressed, and the gods began to worry about it. Loki then turned into a mare in heat, during the last three days of the construction site, to occupy the horse of Hrimthurs responsible for pulling the stones. Thanks to Loki, Asgard was not completed in time.
The attributes of the Norse goddess
Freyja appears with a gold and amber necklace : the Brisingamen. Legend has it that the Scandinavian goddess received it after sharing her bed with four dwarfs: Alfrigg, Dvalin, Berling and Grer. Freyja would wear the Brisingamen day and night. And, once the necklace around the neck, no man, god or even hero could resist the Norse goddess.
Legend has it that this episode enraged Odin, who ordered Loki to steal the necklace. The latter then entered the dwelling of the goddess, transformed into a fly, and stole the Brisingamen. He was returned to Freyja by Heimdall, guardian of Asgard.
Freyja wears a hawk skin on her back . A feather coat that allows her to transform into a bird and travel the nine worlds .
The goddess of love otherwise moves in a chariot . This one is pulled by two very large cats , given to Freyja by Thor when they were still just two kittens.
Desire and lust around Freyja
The goddess of love and fertility is the source of many myths. Very much in love with her husband, Odr, she plunges into sadness when the god disappears for very long periods. Freyja then cries as much as she can wandering around, looking for her husband. And her golden tears , falling into the sea, turn to amber.
True symbol of love, sexuality and freedom , legends say that Freyja would be very coveted. By the giants Hrimthurs and Thrym, first, who would marry her. She would then have shared her bed with four dwarfs, and would have been the lover of the hero Ottar and the god Odin.
It is also said of the Norse goddess that she would have offered her favors to several gods and heroes, to whom she would have promised protection during their life and after their death.
Freyja, goddess of war
The Norse goddess is particularly associated with war . Following the battles, Freyja comes to fetch half of the fallen men. The so-called “defensive” heroes are those who fight to protect their family and their property. She then brings them to her palace, the Folkvang . Odin receives the other half of the men who died during the battle. The “offensive” (Einherjars), those who had dedicated their lives to combat.
